In The Beginning
by Unbuckled
Summary: A retelling of the Voltron story. Based on both the original cartoon and the Devil's Due version of the comic. Mature rating for violence and language later in the story.
1. Chapter 1 A Flight and Fall

General Disclaimer: Voltron does not belong to me. I make no claims to the characters. If it did V3D would never have happened and we may have the movie already. However I am writing this for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. There is no monetary gain involved, just a feeling of fuzzy goodness before the zombie apocalypse dooms us all.

AN: Constructive Criticism is welcome and encouraged. I have a relatively thick skin and a poor understanding of commas so you have been warned. Also I've borrowed things from the Devil's Due comic as well as the TV show. Dynamite hasn't been playing with the characters long enough for me to delve into their story yet. And I may borrow a little from the new cartoon. Haven't decided yet.

The sunrise over the Earth caught the eyes of the young captain as the ship broke atmosphere. He let his mind save a snapshot of the peaceful image as they began their journey away from the only home he had ever known. It didn't matter anymore. Something nagged the back of his mind giving him the feeling he wouldn't make it back there. At least not for a long time.

Far across the universe a young woman watched the sun setting over the lake outside her home. The quiet peace of twilight hid the scars that war had torn across the once peaceful countryside. She was running out of hope as the daily attacks ravaged her planet. Her world was running out of time.

On the small ship hurtling away from earth a young lieutenant sat plotting the course to the jumpgate. He allowed his mind to wander to the stunning redhead he spent his last night on Earth with. She was every bit as firey as her hair. A small smile played across his lips as he navigated far away from her sparking temper.

As the ship broke through the jumpgate the rest of the crew slumbered in their stasis beds. The trip was a month long. Having them sleep consumed less oxygen and space on board the small ship. Stasis sleep meant no dreams. The captain checked his crew before joining his lieutenant in the cockpit. The two had been roommates at the academy, and friends for most of their time there. As he joined him both fell into a comfortable silence.

"Now for the long boring part my friend." The pilot chuckled, breaking the silence for the first time since the trip began.

"You could always join the rest of the crew Lance. I'm more than capable of getting us to our destination."

"Wouldn't being alone make it worse Keith?" Lance replied.

"I like the quiet. If I get stir crazy I can always wake you back up." He smiled at his lieutenant. "Besides I'm not sure I can take a full month of your singing."

"You wound me deeply Keith. I sing quite well. It's gotten me many a kiss from a beautiful woman."

"Are you sure they weren't just trying to shut you up?" Keith replied softly.

"For that, my captain, you are stuck with me for the duration of the trip." Lance replied. "So tell me about the rest of the crew."

"Well, your replacement is Sven Holgerssen." Keith ducked the pen that flew at his head and laughed. "Sven you know from classes. He's one of the few that were able to keep up with your flying. Our two new additions are Tsyoshi Garret and Darrell Stoker. Specialist Garrett is a whiz with anything mechanical, he can fix just about anything. Private Stoker is a computer specialist. He's only sixteen but has already forgotten more about computers than you've ever known." Keith scanned the file a bit further and chuckled.

"He's also the reason you were caught hacking the flight sim Lance."

"Oh joy." Lance muttered under his breath.

The three weeks following passed quite quickly for the pair, though both were tempted to use the remaining stasis pod at one point or another. As the outer rim of Arus' solar system approached Keith noticed a worrying sight.

Cursing under his breath he flipped on the intercom and gritted his teeth. There was a blockade around Arus.

"Lance! Plan D! Get in the stasis pod."

"What about you?" came the reply.

"Just get in the damn pod lieutenant. I need you in one piece." Keith replied.

"Fine, but you better stay alive or I'm coming after you to kick your ass!"

Keith couldn't help but grin at his friend's comment and began to formulate a plan to get them to the planet's surface. The size of their ship gave him their only advantage as he navigated the asteroid field that was just in radar range. Using the skills he had he scanned the communication channels and found the one the ships were using. He had studied both Drule and Arusian while in the academy. As he listened to the chatter he realized something.

The Drule blockade had been going on for quite some time. Most of the crews felt that it was busywork and were very bored with the job. All he had to do was find the weakest section of the blockade. That's when he heard it. One of the large destroyers was going to be running drills. Drills that included false enemy on radar. If he planned it right he could, hopefully slip by.

Using the debris of the asteroid field he got as close to the destroyer as he could. No one was suspicious of anything out here. They were overconfident of their win against Arus. The alert went out on the ship and he began his move. He was fine as long as the fighters didn't see him. Using a trick he learned from one of his more daring teachers he punched the controls and moved his ship erratically hoping that would further confuse the destroyer.

As he passed the ship part of him felt that they had made it. That was when the mission began to go south. Laser fire erupted around him as he neared the Arusian atmosphere. He misjudged the drill as fighters began to flow from the destroyer.

Beginning evasive maneuvers he managed to avoid most of the ships. Their tiny transport was unarmed but the shields were some of the best available. Diverting most of the power to the aft shield array he began atmospheric re-entry. Catching a couple of the fighters unaware he watched them burn up as they misjudged their entry approach. However he was still being followed and shot at. Once he broke through he pushed the little ship as fast as it could go and headed into a nearby canyon. Somehow his ship was more maneuverable than the fighters and he heard two more explode upon impact with the canyon wall.

Then an explosion rocked his ship bouncing him painfully in his harness. He had lost one engine and much of his speed.

"This is Captain Kogane of the Galaxy Alliance." He began on the encrypted frequency he knew the Arusian's were using for communication. "I have lost one engine and am being chased by Drule fighters. I am going to try to make it as close as I can to the castle after losing the two fighters on my tail."

Another shot bounced off of the shield array rocking the ship and causing a panel to explode to his left. He shielded his face from the shrapnel and pushed what was left of the engines a little harder. Seeing the canyon made a sharp turn ahead he tried a move he had only ever seen in the movies.

Speeding up he raced toward the canyon wall. As the fighters behind him closed in he waited until there was almost no space left and quickly slowed down and shot upward. He watched as both of the fighters following him slammed hard into the canyon wall.

Sighing for a moment he began to move towards the castle, keeping his ship low so it would be mostly undetectable. Another explosion rocked his ship as the final engine blew. Holding it as steady as he could he aimed for the forest outside the castle hoping he could keep the ship together as it crashed. The stasis pods were made of a durable almost unbreakable material. If he could put it down away from the pod bay they should hold together.

"This is Captain Kogane of the Galaxy Alliance. Mission code V-5B. We are about to crash land in the forest north of the castle. If anyone gets this message please help."

Saying a small prayer to whatever deity watched over this planet he braced for the impact as the ship finally hit the ground. '_Please make sure my crew is safe'._ The impact threw Keith forward, snapping the harness and sending him careening into the console. Mercifully he blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2 Finding and Awakening

General Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron. WEP does. This is all for fun.

Far below the surface of the planet in the small command room of the Arusian underground an older man sat listening to the pleas coming across the communications array. Just as he was about to turn off the communication the mission code made him stop.

"What was that he said Coran?" A young blond woman asked as she entered the room. "After all these years did the Alliance finally believe us about Voltron?"

"It seems. It also seems that our hopes may have crashed with them."

"We need to send out a rescue crew. Get the guard together. We leave immediately." She replied. "I will not allow our last chance die with them."

"Princess! You cannot leave the safety of the caves. It's too dangerous." The older man insisted.

"Our whole lives are dangerous Coran. And what did I tell you about calling me princess? I will not label myself princess while I have no land to rule. I'm going and nothing you say can stop me."

"You have a duty to these people – "He started only to be cut short by the glare that the young woman gave him. Her ice blue eyes burned deep into his soul and made him stop.

"The only duty I have is to help them get back their lives. I will not send them on any mission that I would not go on myself. I had a premonition about this. I have to go." She said and left the room to gather the search party.

Coran watched her leave the room and sighed. She was so much like her parents it broke his heart a little. If she had a premonition about this he knew she would be safe on this mission. Her premonitions hadn't failed her yet.

As she gathered the group together she plotted the fastest course to the crash location. She knew these woods well, if Coran had any clue how often she left the base he would have had a heart attack. They prepared quickly and silently, words were not needed.

Finally they were all prepared and began to file out of the hidden entrance to the base. It wasn't far from the crash site. It's almost as if the pilot knew where he was going. Maybe the goddess gave him a little help.

Rubbing her forehead trying to make the nagging headache left over from the premonition fade faster she looked out over the dark landscape. At least night was here. It would make getting there and back much easier. She knew the Drule would be searching for the ship that escaped.

They made their way through the forest as silent as the creatures that were hiding from them. They could hear the search ships entering the atmosphere. The Drule were looking just as hard as they were. The only difference is that the princess knew where they were going. Almost as if Arus itself was trying to help a thick fog began to roll in near the tops of the trees effectively covering their search.

Pain and nausea was the first thing Keith noticed as he began to wake from the blackout. He could feel a few ribs were bruised and possibly broken. There was a painful throb in his head that made him think a concussion was also possible. Trying to clear his vision he began to move slowly towards the pod room. He needed to begin waking the crew. They needed to start moving away from the wreck as soon as possible.

As he entered the pod room he sighed slightly in relief as it appeared the pods were intact. Cuing the wake up process he dropped and sat heavily down on the floor as the room began to spin. Leaning against the wall he let the cold of the metal ease his pain slightly.

He heard the sounds of the pods beginning to open and began to put on as much of a poker face as he could. Luckily Lance was the first one moving. He knew his friend would help cover the injuries from the others.

Lance gasped slightly as soon as he saw his captain slumped on the ground. Knowing the others would wake slower due to the time in stasis he moved quickly toward his friend and began assessing any injuries.

"Dammit Keith, why the hell didn't you wake me?"

"Not enough time lieutenant. We came upon the blockade to soon. I also figured it would be easier if only one of us was injured."

"You are too damn self-sacrificing. Here let me help you up before the others get up."

"Too late." Keith said noticing the eyes of the others watching him. "Just help me steady myself so we can get out of here."

"Are we on Arus?" The thick accented voice of his other lieutenant broke through the discussion.

"We crashed about two miles north of the castle. I sent out a distress call to the Arusian rebels but didn't get a response. We need to head towards the castle and hope they heard us."

"What if there's no one left?" Pidge asked in a voice that tried to hide his fears. "Maybe that's why they didn't answer."

"I think it's more likely they were keeping the radio silent. Something tells me they heard me. Gather what supplies you can carry and then we need to move."

They moved quickly and silently, only stopping a couple of times to let Keith breathe. The pain in his ribs was intense and he was positive that the moving was not helping. Just as they were about to start moving again a soft sound hit his ears and made him stop short.

Holding one hand up he signaled to his team to listen and hide. They all ducked into the shrubbery as quiet as possible and listened.

Lance caught the voices first. It didn't sound harsh enough to be Drule, but he couldn't understand any of it. He signaled to his captain and saw Keith's face focus on the words.

"Keep alert, we should be close to the ship." A feminine voice whispered. "We have to make sure they haven't been captured. There may be Drules already on the ground."

As the voices grew closer to their location he used hand signals to tell his men to keep quiet until they were sure these people were Arusian. It could be a trap. As the search squad got closer Keith could see that the person leading them was a woman. The way she walked betrayed the fact that she was also not a guard.

Ignoring the pain in his ribs he began to stand from his location, signaling his men to stay hidden. If this was a trap it he would need the element of surprise to keep them safe.

"I think you were looking for me?" Keith asked in the galactic trade language. No sense in giving away his one advantage.

All six of the search party turned in his direction and drew their weapons. He could hear Lance and the others also draw their own and smiled slightly. His men were ready.

"Show yourself. Come out of the shadows." The female leader of this group stated. "Keep your guns ready. We do not know if this is him." She finished in Arusian.

He slowly made his way out of the shadows, ignored Lance's hissed warning. Something in her voice was familiar and it made him irrationally trust her.

"Captain Kogane?" She asked apprehensively. "Where are the rest of your men?"

"Until I know who you are I prefer not to say." He replied.

"I am Allura DiAltair. We heard your distress signal and were sent to recover you. We need to move quickly. I do not believe that this area will stay safe for long."

With that comment Keith noticed movement to his left and noticed a drule soldier creeping up towards the group. He could hear the man speaking on his com unit and heard some of what he had been saying. "I have found the pilot and some rebels. It appears the princess is leading them."

Only two words came back through the radio and it was enough to gage the soldiers next move. Signaling his men to be ready he saw the soldier raise a blaster and aim it directly at the woman in front of him.

Time slowed as he heard his men and hers jump into action. Hearing the charge up and firing of the blaster told him they would all be too late. He moved like a cat and grabbed the young woman in front of him, quickly spinning her around and using his own body as a shield. The quick movement grated on his ribs but that pain was quickly forgotten as the laser blaster ripped through his shoulder.

He heard another shot and braced himself for the next impact and sighed heavily as soon as he realized that one was not going to come. It was then that he saw Lance standing with his blaster drawn. No one was faster than his lieutenant with a pistol.

"Good shot Lieutenant." Keith said barely betraying the pain he felt.

"You know me." Lance quipped. "Good with any gun."

Keith grinned grimly and let go of the young woman in his arms. It was then that he felt the adrenaline in his system drop out. All of the pain, stress, and injuries finally caught up to him as his blood pressure dropped out and he fell to the forest floor.

Lance watched as his captain wavered and managed to just make it to his side as Keith slumped down. Sven was right beside him and helped support the young man between them. Looking at the woman in front of them he spoke quickly.

"We need to get out of here before blue boy's friends come looking for him." He said sternly and seriously. The young woman nodded and began to lead them towards the tunnel entrance.

Lance looked at his captain and saw that he was slightly conscious but not enough to make any decisions. It was now all up to him as Keith used what was left of his strength to stay moving.

Unknown to all inside the tunnel they were using an entity was sleeping. One that had been silent for many years. As they walked through the old catacombs it felt the presence of a mind similar to its own. One that sang the song that awakened its soul. Darrell Stoker could hear the soft hum coming from the catacomb's walls. Something was watching them, something familiar and new at the same time. He made a mental note to come back soon. Almost as if it heard him the hum receded as if it was biding its time.

Far above the surface of the tunnels another entity was already awake. It heard the pleas of the young captain and guided him as close as it could toward the safety they all sought. It could now feel the pain the young man was in and touched briefly to give him comfort. As if in response to the pain a loud growl and then a thundering roar rebounded across the countryside. The saviors of Arus were here.


	3. Chapter 3 Darkness Speaks

GD: I do not own them. As I said before it's all for fun.

AN: Short chapter warning. This is the intro into the minds of Zarkon and his crew. Lotor is not here but he will be available to ogle later in the story.

In the dimly lit throne room of an even darker castle sat the King of the planet Doom. Reports were coming in from Arus that a small craft had managed to crash through the blockade. He had heard rumors of the Alliance sending a team to the small planet. Apparently it was an extremely small team. The search crews had found the wreckage and the remains of one of his soldiers. His men on the blockade were getting complacent and lazy. They needed something to shake them up, or a public execution.

"Bring me my Generals and the Witch!" King Zarkon cried out across the nearly empty throne room. He stood abruptly and made his way to the war room anger surging through his body.

Looking at the reports from Arus he was trying to come up with a way to break the boredom his troops were experiencing. How one tiny little broken planet could still be giving his massive army problems was beyond him. They had conquered much of this galaxy. Wealth and slaves were streaming to him in abundance, but still he couldn't have the one thing he truly wanted.

"At least they haven't found Voltron, Sire." The cackling voice of his Witch broke through his thoughts. "Though my crystal has shown that this might be the group that succeeds."

"Dammit Witch! You know I hate when you do that." He growled at her, anger very apparent in his yellow eyes.

"Forgive me sire, but I have sensed a stirring of energy coming from Arus. It stinks of the magic of that disgusting robot." She said bowing slightly. She did not want to anger her Lord at this time.

"I thought you destroyed that thing." He asked puzzled for a moment.

"Not destroyed. He was too powerful to destroy. I could only induce a slumber and reduce his power. You know the prophecy my lord."

"Damn that prophecy. This piece of metal will not be my undoing." He hissed.

"Maybe not the 'piece of metal' my lord but the minds that find it. I would be wary of them." She warned.

As his generals finally arrived he turned to Goral, the commander of his spy network and spoke. "Find out who landed on that miserable planet. I am sure they are Alliance. Use your spies and get me as much information as you can."

"Yes sire." Goral's slithering voice spoke as the man vanished back into the shadows.

King Zarkon then turned back to the rest of his generals. Sizing up the men before him he finally turned to Yurak.

"Yurak!" He barked as the man snapped to attention, "Go with Haggar here and plan an attack. I want something big. A show of force. Bring down what's left of that broken castle!"

He turned back to the rest of his men and began to plot a strategy that would bring him what he wanted. The head of the princess on a platter.


	4. Chapter 4 Light At The End Of The Tunnel

GN: Still don't own them. Still enjoy writing them.

AN: I hope to have more soon, but since it is finals and I have a lot of things to catch up on I unfortunately may not be able to get more up before next week. I hope you enjoy this installment.

The group had to stop as soon as they were far enough into the catacombs. Keith needed basic first aid before he lost too much blood. Allura watched as the men tended to their captain. It was interesting to see how the earthlings interacted. They were so similar to Arusians. She could feel the energy rolling off of them and wondered if these were the men that the prophecy spoke of.

She was intrigued by the captain and his first officer. The way the lieutenant had quickly taken over after his captain fell made her think that they had known each other for a while. They had a familiarity with each other that was uncommon with officers. At least it was around here. Her men seemed equally unsure of the motley group.

Finally she could see the captain fidgeting to get away from the ministrations of his men. He had a bit more color in his face and seemed less pained. They were safe in those caves so now was as good a time as any to start the conversation she knew was coming.

She walked over to the men and tried a soft smile. "I'm sorry your trip to Arus wasn't more pleasant, but thank you for coming."

The captain bowed as low as his bruised ribs would let him and then lightly kissed her hand. "As am I your Highness."

"I am no longer Princess of Arus. I will not take up that mantle again until I have a planet to lead again. You can call me Allura. Welcome."

The rest of the men gave their greetings. Soon they were moving further towards the underground base. Dirt and tree roots began to give way to solid rock.

"How long have you all been down here?" Lance asked felling slightly claustrophobic in the tunnels. He would much rather be up there flying. He had never really liked enclosed spaces.

"Fifteen years since we were all forced to go underground. The war has been going for eighteen. I was four when it started. I barely remember living above ground." They could hear the sadness in her words, sadness that was quickly replaced with an unexpected hardness at the next comment.

"We all do our part down here and I don't expect any less from any of you. It has been tough for my people but we have found a way to survive. If you do not wish to help, even with what you military men might find as menial chores, then we cannot afford to have you here. Even the children help out in between their lessons. I do not expect any less from you."

"That will not be a problem. We all have skills that may be useful." Keith replied. This was no pretty princess. The woman before them had been hardened by war just as much as his own men had.

"Anything you can do is appreciated. Most of our working age men and women have been killed or taken as slaves by Zarkon's forces. Stay here a moment." She stopped in front of a large cavern wall. It looked like a dead end to all of them.

She walked up and muttered a few unintelligible words and all five men stared in awe as the wall moved away revealing an entrance to what looked like an underground base of sorts. Groups of people worked on all many different projects. Some were building what looked like small homes, others were practicing shooting at straw targets, Way off in the distance they could see what looked like children in a classroom. The hidden cavern was enormous.

"Wow! This place is huge!" The young private, Darrell said in awe.

"Yeah it is little buddy." Specialist Garrett replied.

"Captain, my advisor would like to meet with you all at some point. Is it acceptable if I leave your men with Guard Captain Todin. He can set them up with room assignments and figure out where they will be most useful. I wish to take you to medical before you bleed out all over my floor."

Keith hadn't noticed how much blood he had lost until he caught a look at his reflection in a metal container nearby. His uniform was covered in his own blood and dirt. The simple patching in the tunnels had not done much more than to stop him from losing more blood.

Turning to Lance and Sven he motioned his two lieutenants over. "Do whatever they want. Be on your best behavior. I think I agree with our gracious hostess that I need to be checked out."

Lance knew that Keith's injuries were more serious than he outwardly showed. Not necessarily life threatening but definitely enough that it was causing the man severe discomfort. He nodded to Sven in agreement and they set about getting everyone together to follow the guard. He turned towards Sven and the others. They had met briefly before going into stasis and Lance still wasn't sure how to pronounce Specialist Garrett's first name. He decided to start with him.

"So, big guy, Keith said you were a mechanical genius. Any chance we can fix our little craft?" He asked as they waited for their guide to be ready to show them around.

"Well yeah, if we had the parts, and if the blue boys don't turn it upside down. And you can call me Hunk. It's easier than trying to pronounce my first name." The big man said with a happy grin. "You think the captain is going to be okay?"

"He made it this far. I've known him for years. A blaster shot won't keep him down for long." Lance replied.

"Or any other injury for that matter." The Scandinavian second lieutenant spoke. "I remember him in the officer training. He showed up at the shooting range with a broken arm and still managed to out gun all of us."

"Except me. I managed the highest score in that one." Lance replied proudly. "That was about the only thing I could beat him in."

Lance then turned towards the youngest member of their team. "So short stack, I hear I have you to thank for getting me busted in the simulator."

Darrell turned bright red and shrunk back into himself. He didn't realize until now that this was the infamous Lance McClain.

"You shouldn't have left your signature all over that computer." He replied in defiance, his voice cracking slightly with nervousness.

Lance glared at him for a minute and then cracked a smile. "It's alright short stack. You were the first person to catch me doing it. I was only trying to give myself a challenge."

Darrell looked up at the taller man and grinned. "No one can beat me when it comes to computers!" He said proudly. "And don't call me short stack. If you've got to use a nickname, Hunk calls me Pidge."

"Alright kid, Pidge it is." He replied and ruffled Pidge's hair.

Just as they were about to start a new topic, the Arusian Guard Captain walked over to them.

"Gentlemen, I am Captain Tobin of her highness' guard. Please follow me as we get your room and chore assignments." He turned crisply and walked off as Lance made a face behind the man's back.

"Uptight much? The captain gets led away by the pretty girl and we get stuck with stick-up-the-ass?" Lance muttered only loud enough for Sven to hear him, which made the other lieutenant laugh.

"Behave, we don't need you getting us thrown out of here like you do at all the bars back home." Sven shot back. "I doubt the Drules would be more hospitable."

Lance gave the man a strange look. "You know about that?"

"The entire academy and most of the higher ups knew about that. Believe me, many officers were glad to see you shipped off. Did you have any place you could go that you hadn't been told not to come back?" Sven asked with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"A couple. Some of the more seedy ones didn't care as long as I didn't break the furniture."

They followed the man towards a large staging area. At one end a very stern older woman was ordering a group of younger woman around what looked like a makeshift kitchen. Hunk's face perked up as he smelled the first real food since the trip began.

"Easy, big guy. I'm sure we'll get to eat soon." Pidge said.

"But it's been about a month since I've eaten anything!" He replied with a slight whine.

"A month in stasis Hunk. You don't actually need food in there." Lance replied with a chuckle.

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm hungry." The big man grumbled.

"Food will be served to workers promptly at six. It is currently only four." The guard captain said with distrust as he let them to a small conference area. "Now it's up to me to discover where you will all be most useful."

"I believe that will be my job, Captain Tobin. Please speak with Lady Nan about setting them up with a sleeping area." A grey haired mustached man spoke to them.

"Welcome to Arus, Gentlemen. My name is Coran. I am the princess' guardian and advisor, and I must apologise for the reactions that I am sure you will be experiencing here. We do not trust as quickly as we used to. War causes people to be more cautious."

They all nodded. All of them had seen firsthand what war could do.

"I need to know what skills you all have. Normally I would just ask your captain but I hear he is currently indisposed at med tech."

Keith had felt a strong presence watching him since his landing. Some outside force was the only thing keeping him standing at the moment. It lent him strength and calmed him. He first noticed it when he was plotting a course for his crash landing. He felt it in the catacombs also but not as much. Something else was there with them.

"Blood loss is making me crazy." He mumbled as he followed Allura towards the medical center.

"Did you say something captain?" Allura asked and slowed down so she was next to him. She could see he was wavering again. "We are almost there."

"Nothing important princess." He replied.

"As I said before. While I am leader of this rebellion I refuse to be princess until I have a planet again. As long as Zarkon has control of the surface I retire my crown."

"Understood, Allura."

The medical center was well lit and extremely sterile for something in the middle of an underground cavern. Keith did not like doctors and grimaced as people began to rush around him. They all moved quickly and soon he found himself stripped of the top half of his blood soaked uniform and forced into a bed.

As the doctors and nurses moved around and poked and prodded him he could feel his vision wavering. The events of the day were finally catching up as he felt his awareness slip from his grasp. Of course it also may have been the drugs the doctor gave him he idly thought.


	5. Chapter 5 Wheelchairs and Storytime

_GD: All for fun_

_AN: I found a little time to play with the story a bit. I'm almost completely done with classes so I should have more time soon. I promise there will be action again, just not quite yet._

_AN2: I never really liked how inept Zarkon and his cronies were. How could they have been so successful in the rest of the galaxy and be such idiots when it came to Arus? I intend to make the war a real war if I can so I will keep the rating high for future events. Again, comments and constructive criticism is heartily encouraged. If you have a problem with something feel free to let me know._

Keith could feel awareness returning slowly. At first it was murmurs around him. Voices that were speaking too softly for him to understand, but then the words grew clearer. Eventually he realized it was the voices of his crew.

"How long 'til he wakes up Doc?" Lance asked with a bounce in his voice.

"Like anyone could sleep with you around." Keith replied as control of his voice returned. "Never could let anyone sleep, could you?"

"Now why would you want to sleep when my charming self is here to keep you company?" Lance replied as he sat down next to his friend.

"Abrasive is more like it." Sven commented. "It's good to see you conscious again Captain."

"You can call me Keith. All of you can. We aren't exactly under regulation situations here Sven." He smiled and tried to sit up as his ribs screamed in protest.

"Should you be doing that Cap- ah – Keith?" Hunk asked. "The doc said you have quite a few bruised ribs."

"As long as he doesn't strain them any further, and as long as there are no fractures that we missed, the most it will cause is discomfort. However, even though we were able speed up the healing, he is still going to have to take it easy for a week or two." The doctor replied as he helped him sit up more comfortably and began to check his vitals.

"How long have I been out? What about the shoulder?" Keith asked concerned that his injuries would interfere with their mission.

"About half a day and your shoulder is healing nicely already. It missed everything critical and is in a location that should heal up with no problems. I have to ask, have you undergone gene therapy? You seem to have an accelerated healing rate."

"No. Not unless my parents did it when I was little." Keith seemed puzzled by that comment but the doctor just nodded and walked away. He had always healed quickly but nothing out of the ordinary. It was then that he noticed the presence was back, or maybe it never really went away.

Keith's face took on a distant look for a moment and the only one who noticed was Pidge. Like Keith he had been feeling a presence in the back of his mind since they hit the forest outside the tunnel. He had to ask Coran or Allura how to get back out to the catacombs. Something was telling him to explore them.

"Earth to Keith? You still with us boss?" Lance's voice broke through both Keith and Pidge's thoughts. "You totally spaced on us. What kind of drugs is the doctor here pushing?"

"I'm fine Lance. I just thought of something." He replied. "So what have you been up to since I was placed in here? I hope you haven't been causing trouble."

"They've been doing quite well. Coran has already put them to work helping around the base." Allura spoke as she walked into the curtained area. "You have assembled quite the resourceful team."

"It's been fun. You should see this place, they've got everything except windows." Hunk replied. "And the kitchen is excellent."

"I've never seen a computer system like the one they have in the command room. The sensors in place are top of the line!" Pidge grinned enthusiastically.

"Hunk has been fixing up the old fighters and helping our mechanics, Sven is working with the few fighting age people we have on self defense and Lance is slowly helping my people actually hit what they aim at." Allura finished. "I was worried you wouldn't be accepted but the rest of your men have been doing a wonderful job of fitting in."

Keith felt a little of the tension he had drain with the news that his men were fitting in here. After losing the ship they would be stuck on Arus until they accomplished their mission. They needed to make the best of the situation.

"Coran will be joining us in a moment so we can discuss your actual mission. I'm assuming you know what I am talking about." Allura said.

"I do, the others were put on need to know in case we were captured." Keith replied with a nod.

"Then I must thank Galaxy Garrison the next chance we get." Coran interjected as he entered the room. "I have gotten permission from the doctors to wheel you into a conference room so we can discuss all of this. I prefer not to do this where there may be prying ears. If two of you will help the Captain into a wheelchair."

As Hunk and Sven helped Keith get comfortable Lance began to snicker. As his stifled laughter became louder he finally lost the fight to hold it when Keith shot him a murderous look.

"What is so funny Lieutenant? Care to share?" Keith snapped.

"Just thinking that maybe I could beat you at track for once." Lance laughed out loud and danced jovially away from his friend.

The team noticed that the conference room was surprisingly secure for an underground chamber. As they made themselves comfortable, Coran turned on a video screen near the back of the room.

"This planet used to be beautiful, it's resources seemed endless. We lived as peacefully as we could and our scientists were some of the best in the galaxy. Our top scientists found a way to meld science and mysticism to create a great defender. Peace came easy to our small section of the universe.

"Then an evil presence moved into our galaxy. Korrinoth was just a small backwater planet before Zarkon and the Drule Ninth Kingdom came. Just like the other Drule Kingdoms his only goal was complete control of the entire galaxy.

"Our defender took up arms once again and, for a little while, we were able to stem the forward flow of his troops. However, Zarkon is aided by an evil and extremely powerful witch. She found a way to slowly assassinate all of our mystics and eventually found a way to fool our defender."

Coran took this moment to take a breath and gage the reactions of the young men in front of him. Allura was also listening intently. She had heard this story many times before, but this was her favorite history tale. To others it was a legend. To Arus it was reality.

Taking a deep breath he continued his tale. "She tricked him into believing she was a beautiful goddess and used her magic to break him apart. The five pieces of our mighty defender crashed to Arus in defeat. This is why we contacted the Alliance. We cannot activate him without help. You were sent here to awaken Voltron."


	6. Chapter 6 The Legend Continues

_Disclaimer: I just checked. They're still not mine._

_AN: We left off with Coran telling the story of Voltron. This is a direct continuation of the last part, consider it a commercial break. _

"So it wasn't a legend? My people tell stories of him but none of us ever considered that it was real." Pidge spoke up excitedly. "Where is it?"

"This is our problem. He has been lost to us." Allura spoke. "It is said that there will be a group of explorers that would finally be given the keys to awaken him. Father spoke of him often. He was chosen to find the black lionship, but then Zarkon killed him."

"Just how old is this Zarkon guy anyway? The legend of Voltron has been told for over two hundred years now." Lance questioned.

"They say his witch keeps him alive." Coran explained. "We still need to find the lionships and hope you will be chosen."

"Chosen how?" Sven asked. He was having a hard time believing this story and was unsure of his captain's silence in the matter. "You knew about this Keith. You knew this wasn't just an aid and recon mission."

Keith looked at his second lieutenant and nodded. "Before we left Hawkins and Graham pulled me aside and told me. It was kept on a need to know in case we were captured. When the emergency transmission came through from Arus they thought that we might be able to get Voltron back up and running again."

"Then what do they mean by chosen?" It was Lance's turn to speak up. This whole thing was making him nervous. He never really believed in mysticism. He had faith in two things, his friends and his ability to out-shoot and out-fly the enemy. The revelation was throwing his world off-balance. Magic had no place here.

"Father described it like being watched or supported. He would frequently get this strange look on his face like he was listening to someone talk to him." She explained.

Pidge's face lit up as he realized what had happened in the tunnels. "I felt that! In the entrance from the forest. It was like someone was trying to get my attention. I was going to ask if I could go back out there but there just hasn't been time."

Allura's face lit up at his revelation. For the first time in many years she began to feel hope again.

"Anyone else felt anything?" Lance said with a snort. He still couldn't wrap his brain around the idea that they were here to pilot a legend. "My head's been pretty quiet."

"When isn't it?" Sven asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes, but abruptly sobered. "I haven't experienced it either."

"I have, but only in the maintenance bay." Hunk commented. "I thought I was just being watched by a guard or something."

All eyes turned to Keith as they realized that he still hadn't spoken up. He was sitting there with a strange look on his face and then spoke softly. "I've been feeling it since just before the crash. At first I thought it was adrenaline, later I figured it was from hitting my head."

"Father mentioned something about location. He said it was hard to feel the Black when he was far away from the castle area. That could be why neither Lance or Sven have been called yet. I know that Green Lion slumbers somewhere in the forest and the Yellow Lion is underground. They say Red is in the volcanic area to the east and Blue sleeps in the large lake south of the castle. Maybe we can finally find them all." It was hard for Allura to contain the joy she was beginning to feel.

Coran looked at the motley group before him and smiled. It did seem that the defender would finally awaken. No one besides King Alfor had been called by the defender in a long time.

A week had passed and no sign of the lions had appeared. Keith found himself in the training area working his shoulder out and trying not to strain his ribs. He watched as Sven and Lance worked with some of the locals on martial arts and general self defense. These people were amazing in their resilience and strength.

He put down the weight he was using and leaned back against a wall to catch his breath. He had seen very little of his teammates over the last week. They had all been kept busy with both chores and their private hunt for the lions. Pidge spent much of his free time exploring the tunnels. Hunk would frequently travel with him. He admired the protective streak that Hunk had for Pidge.

Sven and Lance seemed to be forming a similar bond. They balanced each other out quite nicely. Sven was more into the kind of fun that Lance liked to have. His friend finally had someone who could keep up with him. He was grateful that his team was bonding. With everything he had studied about the old legend that bond would be important.

He wandered to the medical center after his workout and flagged down the doctor. Today he would find out if he could be more active. All of this downtime was beginning to make him slightly crazy.

"Ah, it's my favorite patient." Doctor Horn said with a smile. "Ready to be released to basic duty?"

"I've been ready since I got here." Keith said with a laugh. The older gentleman reminded him of his Uncle back on Earth.

"Let me see your arm and shoulder." Horn grabbed and began manipulating the arm and shoulder looking for any sign of weakness. Once he was done he nodded and smiled. "I don't know how but that wound is almost completely healed. As are your ribs. I still want you to take it easy, but you are good for normal duty."

With the good news and a promise of a chess game later Keith wandered towards the entrance to the base. It was getting late but something told him to go this way. As he reached the entrance he saw a cloaked figure sneaking out past the hidden entrance. It wasn't completely suspicious but there was something odd going on. He decided to follow the figure and see where it was going.

He followed the figure for a while and he noticed this was an area of the tunnel he hadn't seen yet. It was hard to stay out of site for many of the corridors were long straightaways. Occasionally the person would glance back but he made sure to keep to the shadows so he wouldn't be seen.

As the tunnel led farther away from the base he began to notice murals and carvings in the walls. He began to wonder if he was nearing the castle as the tunnel began to slant upward. The thought seemed to be confirmed as he realized the presence was back in his head and growing stronger the further he went.

He saw the figure stop in front of a flat wall and heard it murmur something in Arusian. The wall slid away and the figure walked through. He knew he had to move fast as the door would close shortly. He slipped through and slammed straight into the back of the person – no woman – He was following.

"Allura?" He whispered in shock.

"What are you doing here?" She snapped. "Were you following me?"

He thought about lying for a minute but decided against it. It was more important to be honest, and it seemed the voice in his head was not going to let him.

"Yes. I saw you leave and since I didn't know who it was I decided to follow to make sure you weren't a spy. The cloak does make you look suspicious." He snapped back.

She eyed him strangely and then just nodded. "If you must know, I was headed to the castle. Since you are already here you might as well join me." She huffed and continued away from the entrance.

They continued in silence through, what Keith deduced to be, the subbasement of the castle. They passed storerooms and what looked like a dungeon before arriving at a long stone stairwell up. As they passed the archway at the top a loud roar filled the castle and surrounding countryside.

Keith stopped and listened. The presence was strong here. Strong, forceful, and welcoming. He felt a warmth in his head and had to support himself as it made him waver slightly.

"Where does that door lead? Where in the castle?" He asked.

"It's not really in the castle. It leads to the monument in front of the castle. The lion statue that used to stand as a welcome or a warning." She replied. "You are acting strange, did you hit your head again?"

"No, I'm fine. Lead on my lady." He said and smiled. _'Maybe I did hit my head, I think I'm channeling Lance all of a sudden.'_

She gave him another look and then lead the way through the large door that was in front of them. Something was going on and she planned to get to the bottom of it.


	7. Chapter 7 Strange Wind Blowing

_GD: My story WEP's characters_

_AN: Short chapter just to tide you guys over until I can get into my creative zone. School is over ATM and all I have is work so I'm hoping to have the story moving forward faster over the next week._

In a different part of the tunnels Hunk and Pidge were looking for the area where they came in. The buzzing presence was back, this time it had an edge of excitement to it. It was giving Pidge subtle nudges in the right direction.

"Do you think the legend is true?" Hunk asked. "I've heard some of the stories that made it to Earth. I always thought it would be interesting to see what makes a legend run."

"My people have been speaking of it for years. Some of the stories say Balto had a hand in making him. Supposedly he runs on both science and magic and my people handled the science side. They used to talk about him in school back home. Many of the kids would play and come up with what we thought he would look like. To think that we might be flying one of his parts is almost unbelievable." Pidge replied. It was hard to keep the excitement that the entity was feeding him out of his words.

"Well I wouldn't get my hopes up yet, little buddy. I can't imagine where down here they could hide something as big as one of those lions."

Just then a loud roar echoed through the tunnels causing both Pidge and Hunk to stop dead in their tracks. At the stop a strange cool breeze blew through seemingly coming from a dead end. Pidge walked slowly towards the wall and began to study it. It looked solid but after the trick Allura had pulled to open the door to the base, he was starting to doubt solid walls altogether.

"Help me look over here Hunk. I felt a breeze." He called out to his big friend. He started pushing and prodding the wall as the man walked towards him, when suddenly the wall slid open and he stumbled into darkness as his light gave out.

Hunk rushed forward to give his friend light when his also flickered and went out. Both of them held their breath as the feeling of being watched by something hit them. Pidge could hear a snuffling noise and the sound of claws, large ones, moving through the darkness.

"Can you see anything Hunk?" He whispered to his friend as he backed up away from the sound.

"Not a damn thing. What is that noise? When did we walk into a horror movie?" Came the reply from right behind him.

As the sound grew closer they began to notice a strange light further ahead in the darkness. It had an eerie yellow glow to it and it seemed to move at the same pace as the sound. Then the growling started.

Both of the young men were frozen in place as the sound of growling and claws on stone and dirt moved towards them and just as suddenly as the fear had hit them Pidge felt a calm come over him and he began to walk forward. He could hear Hunk asking him what he was doing and suggesting he come back but something just felt right about the whole situation.

As he neared the light the growling changed into a purr and the lights moved closer to eye level. Whatever this was it was huge. That was when it hit him. The entity in the back of his head , the growling, and the sound of claws. This was one of the lion ships of Voltron.

'_You are worthy young human. You value knowledge above all else except friendship. For that you will be my pilot.'_ The entity finally spoke to him as it came into view. At that the flashlights came back on and both young men could see the large green robot feline before them. When asked about it later Pidge could almost swear he had seen it smile.

Far above the planet and just outside the blockade a silent mass of ships headed for the planet. They were running as silently as possible hoping to catch the survivors and the resistance unawares. At the helm of the flagship, _The Death's Head,_ stood General Yurak, the lead General in the Ninth Kingdom's strongest fleet in the Diamond Quadrant. Yurak had commanded the takeover of all of the planets in the area. Only Arus still fought against him.

This was soon going to change, he could smell it on the winds of fate before him. He would crush this puny planet beneath his heels and personally hand the head of that cursed princess over to his King. This was going to get him the title and land he so deserved. Maybe even a planet of his own.

"Fleet status report!" He bellowed to his crew.

"All systems nominal sir. Still no sign of resistance or surface movement from the rebels."

"Then prepare for atmospheric break. We will flush the rebels out and run them to the ground!" He announced for the entire fleet to hear. This was going to be the greatest day of his life.


	8. Chapter 8 Lightning and Fire

_AN: Hope you enjoy this segment. I promise the action will pick up soon. And unfortunately I still don't own them._

Keith found himself struggling to keep up with the strange young leader as Allura wound her way through the ruins of the castle. What was once a beautiful modern palace was now a crumbling shadow of its old self. Tapestries and paintings hung on walls that were scorched with laser fire and some walls were crumbling both inside and out. He felt like he was intruding in a sacred resting ground, something his ancestors would have frowned upon. They kept climbing stairs and debris until they reached a large bedroom and study area.

"Tread lightly in here. There are many things that could possibly hurt you or be damaged by your touch. This is – was – my father's room" She warned with a slight hitch at the mention of her father. "I am hoping to find something that may help you in your search."

He stopped in the center of the room and did a quick sweep of it with his eyes. The furniture was ancient and well-kept, as were the books and papers scattered across the desk and bookshelves. It seemed this room managed to escape whatever battle was fought in and around the castle. Just as he was about to ask her what she was looking for a glint of light in a dark corner of the room caught his eye.

He found himself walking slowly towards the object and as he neared it that voice in the back of his head almost purred in satisfaction. It gave him a mental shove towards the object and he found himself picking up a strange round disk with the royal seal of Arus.

"I thought I told you to be careful!" Allura snapped and dragged him out of his introspection. "What did you find – Oh my Lady!"

She saw what was in his hand and almost cried. It had been missing since the day Zarkon killed her Father, she knew Coran thought the Drule king had taken it with him. Despite her many journeys and searches around this room she had never seen it. She fought the tears and reached out to the object, lightly touching the seal.

"What is it?" Keith asked, even more confused by the reaction Allura had given to the disk in his hand. He let her take it from him as he could see the battle being fought behind her eyes.

"It's the key to the Black Lion. The other keys are supposed to be with their lions since no one had been chosen yet, but Father had this with him the day he died. We thought it might have been lost or taken by Zarkon." She slowly placed the key back in Keith's hand and folded her hands over his. "If you found it, it must mean he's chosen you to fly him."

"Is that what I've been hearing? One of the lions? The thing almost purred when I had picked this up." He found his reason crumbling as the reality of the legend hit him fully. "We still don't know where he is."

"He will help you find him. As the others will find the rest. Something tells me you all are meant to raise our legend." She insisted.

"This is becoming so unreal." He muttered and looked at Allura. He could see the hope and trust in her eyes. It bored deep within his soul touching something that hadn't stirred since he lost the last of his family. In that moment he felt he had to do everything in his power to help this planet and its people. Failure and retreat was no longer an option.

As soon as the realization hit him a loud growl turned into an even louder roar. Suddenly the sound of breaking stone and lightning began outside the castle, pulling them both apart in a race towards the window.

"Is it an attack?" Allura asked breathlessly. Momentary fear turned to wonder as the statue that had guarded the front of the castle began to crumble and fall.

"I don't think so, there's something inside the statue." Keith replied.

Both watched in awe as the statue crumbled into dust and from the remains stood a black robot lion. It turned its head in their direction and almost seemed to wink. Inside Keith's head the purr became content and satisfied. It too projected the hope and trust. Now he just had to live up to the charge placed on him.

Deep in the base east of the castle Lance found himself wandering into the hot springs area of the tunnels. He had been hearing about them from the locals and finally had found the time to try them out. While Keith had been healing Lance had been left in charge of all of the things his fearless leader couldn't do. By the end of the day a hot shower and meal were all he had strength left for. Now that his captain was upwardly mobile he was free do spend his evenings how he wished.

Whistling a joyful tune he found the tunnel leading toward the caves that held the springs and began to mark his path mentally in his head. Most of the forward private areas were marked in use and he chuckled slightly at some of the noises he heard echoing out of them. It seemed the Arusian people knew how to have fun after all.

As he moved deeper into the tunnel he began to feel a buzzing in the back of his head. The tunnels were getting warmer and he knew he had to be close to the actual main hot springs. Just as he was about to turn left towards them an insistent feeling compelled him to keep going deeper into the private areas.

He was a suspicious man at times and usually followed his gut feelings, any other time he would have ignored the insistent voice in his head in favor of getting backup, but there was nothing malicious to this. It was strangely familiar and extremely comforting. He felt like it was something that had been missing, like a puzzle piece that fell under the table.

The farther into the tunnel he moved the stronger the feeling became. He had long since moved past the used parts of the tunnels. He knew he was somewhere few people had been. Turning on his work light he moved his way through the winding underground into a large open cavern and almost jumped.

Standing before him was the largest robot he had ever seen. Shining in a red light that seemed to come from the figure itself, was a large red cat. As he backed away it began to move towards him. Just as he was about to drop everything and run back the way he had came, the feeling in the back of his head sent a reassuring purr and the cat lowered its head in greeting.

Throwing all sense of reason to the winds he walked up to the magnificent beast before him and reached hesitantly out to touch the metal face of it. It was surprisingly cool to the touch and the reassuring feeling grew stronger. Suddenly pictures began to course through his mind, first of a cave surrounded by lava, then images of this cat flying through the air, and lastly an image of him inside what looked like a cockpit, though one far more advanced than any he had ever seen.

"We're going flying then?" He whispered almost reverently. He did not want to break whatever magic was causing this moment by making a wisecrack. This was what they were sent here for, and for the first time in his life he did not want to screw it up with a joke.

Suddenly the cat playfully snapped at him, causing Lance to jump back. The Red Lion dropped a small metal disk at his feet and chuckled. Lance bent over to pick it up and as soon as it came in contact with his skin a feeling of satisfaction filled his soul. He couldn't stop himself from grinning and soon was laughing as the chuckled grew deeper.

"Looks like you and I are going to get along just fine." He spoke out and began his search for an entry into his lion. This was better than the hot springs any day.


	9. Chapter 9 Water and Earth

_AN: Now back from the break. Still just writing this for fun. Reviews and critiques welcome and encouraged._

Sven sat in the mess hall drinking a cup of the Arusian equivalent of tea. The evening was just beginning to get late and he was eager for a shower and a long rest. They didn't have a training class until later the next day and he really wanted to go over some of the specifications for the defenses around the base. They hadn't been discovered in all the years the rebellion was hiding down here, but some part of him worried that their escape and crash would bring the Drule forces down upon these interesting people.

They all had resilience similar to his own countrymen and women. Living situations and harsh climates did not bring these people down. They kept going despite it all and even found time to let the children be children. He smiled at the thought of his home, only to be pulled from his thoughts by a loud crash.

Across the mess hall a young skittish looking girl had bumped into one of the kitchen workers. She was slight and he noticed a suspicious shiftiness to her eyes. As soon as she realized she was being watched she took off towards the exit.

Leaving his tea forgotten on the table he began a stealthy pursuit of the strange girl. She moved quickly and silently through the main area towards the residential tunnels south of the base. Her need to run away seemed to beat out her paranoia as she ran, because she never once looked behind her.

After a few minutes of her winding her way through many different tunnel areas he saw her round a dark corner. At this point she had made it far ahead of him and it made him put on a burst of speed. He was glad he did for as he rounded the same corner he caught the wall closing behind her. Any longer and it would have appeared to be just a dead end.

Cautiously and quietly he began to look for the door release that these hidden passages had. It took him a moment for him to find the catch and he almost fell at the gust of freezing wind that slammed into him. It was full of the scent of snow and ice. For a moment he was reminded again of the home he had abandoned.

At the end of the passageway before him stood the young girl, she looked defiantly at him and smiled as she took off again around another hidden corner. She moved like a cat, her feet barely touching the floor as she ran. He knew he should have been suspicious but there was something in his head that shut off his normal mental alarms. This was something he needed to do alone he realized as he followed after her.

As he rounded the final corner he had to use all of his strength and agility to keep from falling into what was a long winding underground river. As he stopped himself from falling he noticed a large dark shape gliding below the water. At that moment he wondered if Arus had something like fresh water whales, for that was the only thing his mind could comprehend. As it neared him he began to notice the glint of something metallic on the shadow. He now began to think they had been infiltrated by the enemy.

It was then that Sven noticed the hum in the back of his head. It spoke of soothing calm breezes and water. It tasted like a fresh spring and smelled like the start of a rainstorm. It had a sense of meditation and patience. Overall it felt like home. For the first time since he left Norway he felt like he belonged.

At that moment the shadow in the water decided to show itself. A large blue metallic lion rose from the darkness of the river and looked through him. It seemed to be judging him, not only by sight but judging his soul. It could see the pain of leaving his family and sought to fill it and with a growl dropped a key at his feet.

"_You will be needed soon. Take this and come with me."_

_-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-  
_

Far on the other side of the tunnels Hunk watched with interest as Pidge explored the lion. He wanted to get his hands on it but any time he approached it gave him a look that clearly said no. His friend had vanished inside the large feline machine for quite some time and just as he was about to give up and leave the lion blocked his exit.

Pidge dropped down in front of his large friend and smiled. "You weren't planning on leaving me here? He's amazing! The technology is far more advanced than anything we've seen and it runs with a neural uplink. The computer system is unlike anything I've ever played with!"

"I feel like I'm interrupting a first date. You might be having fun but he won't let me near him." Hunk replied.

Pidge noticed the distracted look on his friend's face and realization hit him. "You're sensing another lion, aren't you?"

""Sort of. There's a sense of urgency in the back of my head and it's a bit distracting. It seems to think something big is about to happen." Hunk replied.

"Maybe Green Lion could help us find the source?" Pidge suggested. "He seems to think time is short too."

The lion leaned its head down to the two young men and indicated that they should get in. _"I will take you to my brother. He is far out in the desert and there is no easy way to get there from here."_ The voice said in Pidge's head.

Hunk stared in awe at the cockpit of the lion ship. He had never seen anything quite like it before. Some day he would really have to study the mechanics of these ships. He watched his friend settle into the pilot's chair and almost yelped as a secondary support chair showed up behind him. It was almost as if the ships could adjust to whatever was needed at the time. The lion was sentient; there was no longer any doubt in his mind.

Once they were strapped in Pidge took the controls and the great green cat directed him down a tunnel and out into the forest. It was now fully dark and he could barely see the landscape around him. The sense of speed thrilled both of the young pilots as the cat moved stealthily across the countryside.

Once they hit the desert the lion downloaded more directions to Pidge and he adjusted accordingly. Hunk began to feel the urgency grow in strength and volume as they approached a large sand dune. Just like the old earth story Aladdin, the dune opened for the young men and they found themselves in a new tunnel.

Before them was another lion ship, this one primarily yellow in color. It was larger than the green lion and sat in an almost relaxed position before them. It roared what could only be a greeting as they approached.

"_Danger approaches. We must go."_ Hunk suddenly heard the voice in his head and would have fell out of his seat if he hadn't strapped in. All he had read on these ships was true. He was now part of a fairy tale.


	10. Chapter 10 This is War

_AN: Sorry it's been so long. Life hit hard and I lost inspiration for a bit. I'll also admit I was slightly distracted by Diablo 3. It took listening to Neil Gaiman's commencement speech to get me back on track. If you haven't heard it it's great advice._

Back at the castle Keith and Allura were working their way back down to the entrance to the castle. Keith was, for the first time in a long time, excited. Allura could see in his dark eyes the mirror to her own excitement. Both felt an electrical anticipation in the air, almost as if Arus itself was holding its breath. Keith's thoughts idly passed to his teammates and hoped that they too, were having the same luck that he had stumbled upon.

Neither of them spoke as they exited the remains of the castle, yet both gasped at the sight that awaited them outside the door. The Black Lion stood proudly before them on the bridge with a look that could almost be called a smile, if a robot could smile. The shear size of the lion made both Keith and Allura feel dwarfed and insignificant.

"He's waiting for you I think." Allura finally broke the silence. Tears threatened to burst through her as she thought of her father. This young captain was going to have a connection with him that she could never gain. "I don't think you should keep him waiting."

He turned and for a moment could see the look of sadness hidden behind her eyes. In a very uncharacteristic reaction he smiled and spoke. "You could come with me if you wanted to. We can't go far anyway. I don't want the blockade to know about them yet."

Just as Allura was going to accept movement to the north caught her attention. She gasped and shook her head as she pointed to what she could see in the sky behind him. "No. I have to go warn the others. Zarkon has sent an attack."

Keith looked towards the north and saw the battle fleet that had just broken the atmosphere. It looked like he was going to get a chance to test the lion out sooner than he had hoped.

"Go. If you see any of my men, put them to work or send them to find the other lions. Do you have any aircraft or pilots?" He started running scenarios in his head. That fleet was huge and they all needed to move quickly.

"A few of both. Nothing capable of withstanding that armada though." She replied.

"Then strengthen the security around the base and tell the others to get moving. We need to do something. Also see if you can find a communications set up that will let you talk to the lion. I want to stay in contact as long as I can."

She nodded and then started to move towards the tunnel entrance. She paused as she saw two blurs, one green and one yellow shoot up from the desert area. They were quickly followed by both a red and blue one.

"Keith!" She shouted and ran back to him. "Those are the other lions I can feel it!"

"Then I better get up to my team." He replied.

She looked at him for a moment and the determination made her heart soar with hope. She gave him a smile and lightly touched his arm. "Be careful. All of you."

Keith looked back at the young leader before him and nodded, in that small gesture his resolve strengthened even more as he gave a small salute and rushed off to the waiting lion.

* * *

General Yurak eyed the planet below him looking for the location of the downed Alliance ship. As soon as he located the crash site he ordered the fighters to be launched and began the assault on the planet. Now was not the time to be merciful. Now was the time to raze this puny planet completely. He would leave the people no place to hide. This was his chance to shine.

* * *

"Launch the fighters and begin the ground assault! For the glory of King Zarkon!" His voice bellowed across the intership cominications.

Lance was the first to notice the other lion ships approaching the fleet. With a smile and a cry of joy he opened the communications and shouted to the other lions.

"I don't know who's flying with me but welcome to the firefight!" He announced with laughter in his voice. He saw that the battle cruisers were releasing the fighters and began an attack, at first only using the teeth and claws of his fighter and then soon figuring out the other weapons systems.

"Hey Lance! Nice ride you have there." Hunk's voice called out from the yellow lion as he took out two fighters that were trying to get around behind him. "I've got Pidge with me in the little green one. Who's flying the Blue?"

"Welcome to Air Scandinavia." Sven's voice broke through the channel. "This is unlike anything I've ever flown." He quickly took down another of the fighters with the lion's ice breath and quickly shot forward to take out another that had gotten a lock on Lance's lion.

"It's a shame Keith isn't here. I wonder if he even knows that there's an air battle going on." Pidge commented.

They quickly fell into formation as they began decimating the seemingly never ending supply of fighters. The Drule ship swarmed like angry bees around the lions but none of them seemed capable of scoring any real damaging hit.

"We need to know down as many of these things as we can and then see if we can take out a couple of those cruisers. Hunk, Pidge, break left and Sven take the right with me." Lance ordered.

With a round of agreement the others began their assault. As they were working through the ranks Lance noticed one of the ships trying to land. He was too tied up with the fighters that were trying to surround both him and Sven and it seemed that Pidge and Hunk were in a similar situation.

"Can any of you break away and take out the landing party?" He asked. He was swarmed by more fighters, each hit producing a growl from his lion and he wasn't sure how much more the cat would take.

"There's too many of them." Came the reply he didn't want to hear. Just as he was about to give up and worry that they wouldn't be able to stop it a voice came across the comms that filled him with both relief and curiosity.

"Don't worry. I've got it." Keith replied as he steered his lion toward the landing ship. Producing the ion blade he took out the first tank that came from the ship and then proceeded to rip through the landing bay and straight into the engine compartment. He could feel the smug satisfaction from Black Lion as the cruiser exploded behind him.

"Welcome to the party Chief!" Lance replied with a laugh. "Sure you can fly that thing?"

Black Lion took back up into the air and quickly took out a few of the fighters that had Lance's Red almost cornered. "I think you should be worrying less about me and more about your own flank."


	11. Chapter 11 A New Challenger Appears

_AN: As usual I don't own any of them. I've had a bit of a problem with the battle scene. So it has taken a bit longer than I would like. Here's the next part._

Yurak watched the battle from the command ship with growing concern. This was not how it was supposed to go. He remembered the stories of the fearsome Lion ships that were said to protect this planet but he didn't believe in them until now. From the look on his men's faces, they were just as surprised.

"Release Hagar's special weapon! Once it has engaged those infernal ships, land the troops near the castle!"

The battle was not going well for them. Hagar's beast better do what it was made for and crush those little maggots beneath him. He would not return to Korrinoth in defeat.

* * *

Lance and Sven began turning the tide of ships that had them surrounded as Keith ran support between his two lieutenants, and Pidge and Hunk. It seemed as if the Drule battle cruisers were bigger on the inside with the sheer number of ships that continued to pour from them.

"What are these things? A damn clown car?" He snapped. "Where the hell are they fitting all these ships?"

"I was beginning to wonder that myself." Sven replied. "It's as if two more ships appear for every one we destroy."

"It looks like it may get worse. I'm picking up a large spike in energy from the lead cruiser." Pidge replied. "They just released something huge."

"Shit, team, it's a robeast." Keith commented. He remembered reading about the arena fights and the shock tactics that the Drule would use against other planets. Robeast were creations that were a mix of science and dark magic. Whatever that ship just released would not be good.

"Sven, Lance, and Hunk, I want you to keep trimming the rank of these fighters. Pidge come with me and start to scan the newcomer to this battle. We need to be stealthy and I want as much information as possible before we engage."

* * *

The quick change in tactics in the Black and Green Lions was not lost on Yurak. He watched the two lions as they moved slowly away from the dogfight and towards the new arrival. He ordered one of his battle cruisers to keep watch on the two runaway lions as the battle continued to rage around him. This was not going as planned and he was dreading the return to Korrinoth with such devastating losses.

King Zarkon did not like failure. If he failed this he would be killed outright at best or turned into one of Hagar's creations at the worst. He was glad he had no family left. If he failed it would be a shame upon his house.

* * *

Pidge and Keith approached the landing area of the robeast. At first all they could see was a crater but then the creature emerged. It was large and batlike, with two small horns on its head, spikes protruding from its chest area and what, looked like a cross between a cape and wings on its back.

"Damn that thing is ugly. Don't get too close or attract its attention yet. I want as much data as possible." Keith warned Pidge.

"It sure won't win any beauty contests. I'm running the diagnostics now. It's producing a lot of power though nothing is really standing out."

Soon the robeast began to move towards the castle area. As it's strange eyes scanned the countryside it noticed the lions circling overhead and let out a bellow that shook the ground around it. With a leap that defied gravity it jumped towards the lions with malice in its face.

"Break right! We've been spotted!" Keith called across the com. Both lions narrowly missed being hit. The thing then landed with a ground shaking slam. Keith responded by firing missiles at its head.

"I think you just pissed it off Captain." Pidge replied as the creature seemed to lock onto the Black Lion. It started its leap again and this time there wasn't enough time to get out of the way. With a vicious swat both the lion and its pilot went slamming into the ground.

"Captain!" Pidge shouted through the coms. "Keith! Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Firing missiles of his own, Pidge tried to distract the beast. As the creature turned towards its new attacker he began to draw it back towards the other lions and the air battle raging overhead. The Green Lion was nimble and quick and its size made it a little less of a target than the larger Black Lion. Pidge was only managing to keep ahead of the creature by seconds though. This thing was going to be tough to beat, and he still hadn't heard anything coming from Keith's lion.


	12. Chapter 12 Darkness Before the Dawn

**AN: I'm back again. Here's the next installment. I hope you enjoy. More should be up by next week at the latest.**

Allura raced through the tunnels to the command center shouting an alert to the guards on duty. Many were aware something was going on as the tunnels caused the sounds from the surface to echo through the chambers. No one expected to see their princess running and shouting in its wake.

"Coran! Sound the alarms. We have an incoming armada!" She barked her orders.

"Where is the team from the Garrison? No one has seen any of them for hours princess. They all seemed to vanish around the same time." Coran replied.

"The Captain was with me in my father's study." She replied. "Before you yell at me for going to the surface we were looking for information on the lions. He found the Black and it looks like the others found the rest. They are currently fighting the armada. We need some way to communicate with them.

Turning to the guard captain she began giving more orders. The lives of her people were on the line again, they couldn't afford to be idle now. "Captain Todin! Gather your men and strengthen all the guards at the entrances. Be on the alert. Anyone who is not on duty needs to start moving the families to the housing section. Their lives come first."

Her Guard Captain nodded and began moving the rest of his men into position. Soon it was just Allura, Coran, and a few techs in the command room. Sighing, Coran looked at his charge and made a tough decision.

"Follow me Allura. I have a way to communicate with the Lions." Coran said and walked out of command towards a few rarely used tunnels.

As they wound their way up the slowly curving tunnel Allura began to get suspicious. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? We could have used it to find the lions."

"Because it wouldn't have worked. Without pilots available the lions cannot communicate. Believe me we tried." He paused at the end of the tunnel and slid the hidden door open. What was through the door made Allura gasp with surprise.

On the other side of the door was a large control room. It was equipped with a large view screen and a computer console that sat on a slightly raised platform. Coran moved quickly to the seat and began to punch commands into the console. Soon the voices of the lion pilots could be heard.

At first it was just commands between Lance, Sven, and Hunk. They apparently were fighting the armada. Soon Pidge's worried voice came over the com unit and filled Allura with dread.

"Lance! Keith is down and not responding! The creature is too much for us to take on alone. I need assistance!"

"What the hell is that thing kid?" Lance's voice broke through. "I don't think I've ever seen anything that ugly before."

"All I can tell is its alive and producing a ton of lazon energy. I don't think it can fly but it jumps high enough to knock us out of the sky. It moves fast too."

Allura felt more fear course through her. Pidge was describing a robeast. They brought one of those infernal creatures to her planet and one of the lions was already down.

"Can we talk to them Coran?" She asked quickly.

"I'm working on opening up the rest of the communications systems now. It's been years since I was shown this so some of the commands are a bit rusty." He replied.

She said a little prayer to the Goddess for the safety of the pilots and then turned her attention back onto the communications between the team.

"Watch out Hunk. It's moving towards you." Sven called a warning to Specialist Garrett. Coran managed to bring up the video of the fight just in time to see the yellow lion get slammed into a rock wall.

"Hunk!" Pidge screamed out as Green, Blue, and Red Lions all began to attack at the same time to keep it off guard. Lance brought his lion a little too close to the creature, as it snatched him out of the air they could hear him groan in pain.

Soon Coran had visuals inside the cockpits as well as the main visual of the fight itself. Allura choked back another gasp as she saw Hunk was bleeding from a small gash on his forehead and Lance was also sporting a bruise on his face. There was no picture from Black Lion though and that sent an even deeper fear through her.

Coran noticed that Allura's vision had focused on the static coming from the feed that should have been Black Lion. Worry filled him for a moment until he noticed something on the readings from the lion ships.

"Look at the life support system. The pilot is fine. Black Lion is fine. Give me a moment, I almost have the communications fully up."

"Lions please acknowledge. This is Coran." Coran began to try to open the channels between control and the lion force. He was greeted with replies from four of the lions, though Black Lion stayed eerily silent.

"Oh is it great to hear a familiar voice." Came a sigh of relief from Lance. "Do you have communication with Keith? We need him out here."

"I am sorry to say I do not." Coran replied. "I have vitals on all of the pilots and his are within normal parameters, but there is no picture or response from Black Lion."

"Dammit Keith! Get your sorry ass on the communications. This thing is beating us all down!" Lance's voice betrayed the nervous fear that all of the pilots were now feeling. Behind his voice was another crash as the robeast swatted at Blue Lion knocking Sven towards the ground.

* * *

Back at the impact crater Black Lion was still lying prone on the ground. Keith found himself regaining consciousness from the impact to the loud and nervous voices of his teammates. He began to right the lion when a sharp vision hit him.

"_Watch and learn, young pilot." _Came the grumbling voice of his lion. _"You cannot help your friends yet. You must help us awaken."_

Pictures began to invade his head. He saw the fall of the original Voltron and the separation into the five lions. The scene changed into one where the five separate lions were fought a large foe similar to the robeast they were now up against. The picture was now in the cockpit of the Black Lion. Some unknown pilot was commanding the large beast. With a leap into the air a new console was activated and the leader gave a set of commands. Soon all of the lions began to change and combine into the mighty defender.

Falling out of the vision with a disorienting rush Keith realized that he was just given the command sequence to form Voltron.

"Thank you." He whispered to the spirit of the lion as he began to pull the cat back to the battle that was raging. The Lion almost purred its response.

* * *

Lance was doing the best he could to keep his teammates away from the strong arms of the robeast. To top it all off the fighters were still flying around like mosquitos, waiting for the most opportune time to strike.

"Any ideas kids? We're sitting ducks out here and I'm running out of witty comments." Lance quipped. This creature was knocking them all around like a child who never properly learned how to play with his toys. He could feel the frustration from his lion and the cries from his teammates were making him wince. Humor had always been his defense mechanism, and for once he was unable to make a joke.

"I can't find any structural weaknesses that the lions could actually damage." Pidge's worried voice was his only response. The kid was scared shitless, Lance could hear it in Stoker's tone and pitch. Out of all of them the teen was the only one who had never really had much actual combat flying. The simulators were great but there was no real danger involved.

"Get out of its range and run any and all diagnostics you can. I need something we can use." He grimaced as the creature connected with his lion again. None of them could take much more of this abuse. They needed something big and they needed it now.

The last hit had knocked his lion hard into the dirt and Lance looked up in time to see the creature stalking up to squish him soundly beneath its feet. Just when he thought it was going to be his last moment a familiar voice came across the coms and a large white streak plowed hard into the front of the robeast – sending it to the ground with a loud crashing thud.

"Sorry I'm late guys." Keith's voice was a welcome sound. "I was getting a history lesson from Black Beauty here. Form up on me – it's time for the big guns."

"You mean Voltron?" Hunk's wearied voice replied. "But we still don't know how to form him."

"Just follow my lead. The lions should be able to help with the rest." Keith's voice was confident and set all of them a bit at ease. This was exactly why Lance didn't want command. He didn't have that calm control that his fearless leader did.


	13. Chapter 13 The Dawn Comes

_**AN: Sorry it took so long this time but Word ate my file and erased most of the battle scene. I think an update corrupted some of the data. I've managed to pull most of it out of my brain so here's the next installment. One or two more chapters and this story is done.**_

Back in the control room both Allura and Coran finally released the breath they had been holding. The captain's voice was a welcome and calming device as was the knowledge that Voltron may well return tonight.

Neither of them had ever seen Voltron in action. The last time the large robot was functional was long before either of them were born. All Arusians knew the story though, and the thought that this would be the night of their defenders awakening gave them hope.

They watched the view screen as Keith directed the rest of the pilots away from the battle and into the sky. Soon there was energy pulsing around the formation as Keith began giving orders.

"Okay guys let's do this. " The confidence in the captain's voice set them both further at ease.

Lance could feel the power building as they pulled away from the beast on the ground. This was about to be a defining moment in his life. His lion purred in anticipation and eagerness, making him feel eager in response.

"Activate interlocks." Came Keith's voice across the comms. _"What the hell is an interlock?" _Lance thought to himself. As if sensing his confusion Red Lion entered his mind and responded. "I will show you what to do."

Pidge's people were technologically advanced in comparison to the other races that were part of the Alliance, and he had never seen or experienced anything like Green Lion. As Keith began the orders for the Voltron sequence Pidge could almost see the computer's internal circuitry and calculations. The mystic side of the Lion's computers almost baffled the pilot. He could feel the Lion merging with him in ways that defied modern science and Green Lion responded to his thoughts and began to download the information the young genius needed to process this new system.

"Dynotherms connected." Keith ordered next, and Pidge could almost swear he could hear his captain inside his mind as Green Lion showed him what to do next.

Sven could feel Blue Lion's calm and liquid energy pouring into him as the energy crackled around the ship. He was merging with the Lion and almost felt as if he was losing a piece of himself. As he began to pull away the lion blocked his mental escape and sent a wave of reassurance that eased him into the merge.

"Infracells up." Came Keith's voice sounding like it was inside his head and throughout the Lionship. It almost sent him hurtling back into his mind again, only Blue Lion's strength and flowing calm kept him in the link.

Hunk had worked with machinery his entire life. He could speak the language of the machines and vehicles that he worked on. The language of the lions was chattering all around him and to him, yet what was being said to him now was almost like learning an entirely new language. There was so much he was going to have to learn it made his heart swell with the thought of a new challenge.

"Megathrusters are a go" Keith spoke again. When his captain's voice came through this time Hunk could feel it in his being. They weren't just merging with their individual ships, everyone's thoughts were merging together as the transformation sequence engaged.

Keith could sense the Lion moving around him. He could feel the change in the ship as it prepared for the connections. If his team made it through this they would forever be changed from the experience. He was afraid of the closeness that the formation seemed to be forcing upon them. The connection was as much mental as it was physical and Keith had always blocked off some parts of himself.

He knew that would not be the case this time. Black Lion had warned him of the bond needed to form the defender and he felt, at the time, that he was prepared, but the realization of what was in store for them all hit him hard. He pushed the most painful memories and thoughts as far back as he could and steeled himself for the onslaught of the rest of his group.

Finding his voice again he began the rest of the sequence and prepared himself for this new experience. "Form feet and legs." As he spoke those words he could sense the Blue and Yellow Lions moving into position. With them came the cool icy thoughts of Sven and the warmth and caring of Hunk. An idle thought of missing dinner made him smile.

"Form arms and torso." He continued. With the movement and connection of Red and Green Lions came also the fire and passion of Lance and the analytical, yet adventurous thoughts of Pidge. They were almost done. It was time for him to finish the transformation and for them all to bring back the mighty robot.

"And I'll form the head."

Back in the control room Coran and Allura watched with awe as the Lions all merged in a swirl of light and power. As Keith's commands rolled through the airwaves their confidence in winning this battle grew. The entire transformation took very little actual time, but seemed to move slowly for all involved. A bright flash of light on the screen made both of them look away and when they looked back they could see Voltron standing high above the land.

Then time all came crashing back into normal forward speed as the main battle cruiser moved towards the giant robot and fired its main cannon.

Keith saw the flash a moment before the cannon actually fired, but before he could say anything he could feel Hunk and Sven working the legs of Voltron in an evasive maneuver that just barely moved them out of the path of the beam. It was then that he realized that words were almost unnecessary. The neural link between the pilots was an advantage, not the invasion he originally thought it was, and it was an advantage they all intended on using.

Lance was the closest to the cruiser and took the moment to fire off a quick volley of missiles back at the ship. All but one connected and he let out a whoop as the ship veered off of its original course. He was itching to get back down and try out the big guns again the monster on the ground.

It seemed that the beast wanted them back on the ground also, for it was then that an energy pulse ripped into the back of Voltron sending a volley of pain and confusion through all of the pilots. Pain that was increased by their impact with the ground.

As they looked up, they could see the robeast stalking over to his new prey. Before they could regain their footing it brought up a foot of its own and slammed them into the ground again. It began to push Voltron's torso farther into the dirt which sent little shockwaves throughout Black Lion. Keith grimaced and called out to Lance and Pidge to try to throw it off.

Using the teeth of the lions to tear at the leg of the robeast, the two pilots worked in unison to twist the leg around and send the beast crashing to the ground next to them. Hunk and Sven quickly moved into position to get Voltron's legs back under him and soon Hunk brought his leg around to kick the beast square in its jaw. Once they pulled the robot into a firm stance all four of the lion's sent a set of missiles into the prone creature.

"I think we may have pissed him off Chief." Came Lance's banter across the comm units. "What other shiny toys do we have to play with?"

"Pidge, pull up any weapons schematics you can find. We need something that hits a little harder than the missiles." Keith ordered as he watched the beast get back to its feet and start a charge in their direction.

As they all braced for the impact Pidge let out a little whoop as he found something promising in the schematics for what he figured was Voltron's main weapon. The joy was short lived as the robeast's impact knocked them all around more than they expected.

As it pushed them hard into the ground each of the pilots realized that they were feeling Voltron's pain. Feedback caused all of them to cry out as the pressure built. The lions also cried out mentally which sent more feedback into their systems.

Voltron was face to face with the ugly leering grin of the robeast. Keith was getting a very personal and up close look at the maliciousness and anger in its eyes. It's breath was loud and sounded slightly like a deep growl as it pushed them deeper into the dirt around them. As he began to run out of idea Black Lion sent a thought directly to him. A weapon that would either help or make this thing even more pissed off.

"Form Ion Darts." He announced as a series of sharp needle-like spikes formed and sprayed out of what was once Black Lion's ears. The spikes imbedded themselves into the robeast's face and eyes, sending it screaming back away from Voltron, giving them the moment they needed to get back on their feet.

Pidge quickly read through the schematics that flashed across his display. They needed something big to take down this monstrosity in front of them. The Ion Darts managed to give them all a breather, but there was no way they could take this thing down with missiles and little porcupine spikes. They needed something that his hard and fast. He also didn't want the thing to hit them again. The neuro-connection allowed them to experience the pain the big robot felt. They couldn't take too many hits like that.

"Any luck Pidge?" Came Keith's voice through the neuro-link. "It's getting its footing again and we need to be ready."

"I think I have something. It needs Red, Green, and Black Lions, but it should be a good finishing weapon." Pidge replied as he passed the information to Lance and Keith. "It looks like it uses a ton of power so it won't be useable for long."

"I see. Everyone, hit that thing with the element torches and missiles. I want it distracted long enough to get this weapon active. Lance, it looks like this one is all you when we get it moving."

"Sweet!" Lance crowed as he looked at the weapon specifications. This was going to be interesting.

As the beast approached again to tackle them they jumped back and hit it with the missiles and the elemental lion torches. It made the robeast howl shrilly in pain and cover its face. They had really angered it this time.

"Okay team. Form Blazing Sword!" Keith announced as Pidge and Lance began the weapon formation sequence. Bringing their lions together they slowly pulled themselves apart and soon there was a large angry looking sword gleaming in Red Lion's mouth. Lance steadied his lion as the creature rushed them again.

As soon as Hunk and Sven moved into a strong stance, Lance lifted the sword up for a quick slice at the beast. As the team dodged the rush he brought the sword back down slicing clean through the back of the robeast splitting it almost completely in half. As the beast let out another howl it stopped abruptly and then, in a blinding flash of light, exploded.

* * *

High up in the atmosphere Yurak called the retreat and pulled his limping battle cruiser away from the tiny planet of Arus. As his robeast exploded he knew the battle was over. They had already lost over two thirds of their fighters to those cursed lions and Haggar's creature had barely put a dent in those mechanical beasts. This was his first defeat, the first disgrace on his house and name. He only hoped that the information he had acquired on the Arusian's new weapons was enough to keep the King from dispatching his head from his shoulders. He had grown quite attached to it.

* * *

Back in the control room Coran and Allura had just noticed the audience that had gathered to watch the battle. Both guards and civilians were now cheering the defeat of Haggar's robeast. Allura couldn't help but smile as she saw the genuine hope spreading across her people. For the first time since her father had died, she too, felt hope. Hope that one day Arus would finally be free.

She could hear the boys announcing the retreat of Yurak's ships and the call from Keith to separate and then meet in front of the castle. Checking that Coran was preoccupied and ignoring the people around her she ran out of the control room and made her way to the castle exit. She reached the bridge just as the lion's landed in the clearing on the other end. Seeing Black Lion lower his head and the others follow his lead she put on a little speed so she could be the first to greet the team.


	14. Chapter 14 Rising Sun - Finale

_Author's Note: I know it's been a while but here is the finale to In The Beginning. I hopefully will be moving forward on the new story and I slightly apologise for the surprise at the end of this one. It is meant as a set up for the next set of tales. Enjoy._

* * *

As Keith jumped out of his lion he could sense the disappointment from the large cat. He chuckled to himself and gave the large black lion a pat on his metallic nose and moved to congratulate his teammates. What they faced had been tough, but they all made it out alive.

Lance and Sven were the first to meet him quickly followed by Hunk and Pidge. All of them were wearing large revealing grins on their faces, even Hunk who was also sporting a nasty looking gash across his forehead.

"Just a flesh wound chief, I promise." Hunk reassured him. They could all still feel the residual link from being Voltron and some thoughts were still noticeable to the others.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to that." Keith replied. "Sharing with Black Lion is one thing, but I'm not so sure I want Lance in my head that often."

"You wound me Keith. I thought I was your favorite." Lance replied with an evil smirk.

"In your dreams my friend. Though I do think we need to get helmets and energy retardant suits for battle. I don't need you suffering any more head injuries. Some of you can't afford to lose brain cells."

"Don't look now, we have a groupie." Lance replied as he noticed Allura running to meet them. She had a smile that lit up her face and all of them noticed the change in her.

She slowed as she reached the group and seemed reluctant to break up the celebration. Keith noticed this and gave her a smile that squashed that feeling immediately. When she was close enough he reached over and pulled her into the group.

"I didn't think you could do it, but you all brought him back. I don't know how to thank you." She commented.

"No thanks needed." Hunk replied. "Its kinda what we came here for."

"No one really believed it could happen though. And it did. I'm just worried about Zarkon's reaction."

"I think we have some time before they come back." Keith commented. "And when we do, we'll be ready for them."

"There are a bunch of people waiting to congratulate you all. We shouldn't keep them waiting." Allura said.

"Bring the lions back to their dens to recharge. I think it's time for a party." Keith replied with a smile.

The celebration went on well into the evening and early morning. As it began to wind down Lance and Sven found themselves invited to an Arusian poker game while Hunk and Pidge were pulled into the mechanic's bay by the men and women they had been working closely with in the days prior.

Only Keith kept himself away from the rest of the festivities. After making the rounds he found himself climbing back up onto the pedestal that held the Black Lion. He needed some quiet to think and the large mechanical cat seemed to enjoy the company. He could swear it purred as he leaned back on its front paw.

Much of the blockade had turned tail and ran after they had destroyed the robeast. Coran was able to get an uplink with the few remaining satellites that orbited Arus and he watched as they left. There was silence in the air and for once this planet wasn't holding its breath for the next attack. As the sun began to peak over the horizon it illuminated the damage that had been done to the country but he could still see the peace behind the devastation. Soon he found himself drifting into the first restful sleep since he landed.

Allura had noticed the captain slip away and was tempted to follow him, but something in his movements made her stay at the party. As the festivities branched off into many different smaller groups she saw Coran standing alone near the door to the control room. She smiled as she walked over to her advisor.

"It feels good to see them enjoying themselves again." She said warmly.

"There is still much to be done Your Highness, but yes it does feel good." He returned the smile. "These young men have turned out to be quite useful."

"They are more than useful. I don't know yet what the lions have seen in them, but the people are warming to them all."

"Yes. I do believe they are. However it is getting late and I must retire. I suggest you do the same Allura." Coran turned to leave and head to his chamber.

She smiled at the man who practically raised her and headed to her own room. There was a bit of a spring in her step that wasn't there before.

* * *

Planet Doom

Far from Arus on the planet once known as Korrinoth and now called Doom a tall Drule in all black armor made his way through the halls that lead to the throne room. Seeing the determination on his face caused all to move out of his way. As he walked through the open door to the throne room he silenced the herald with a look and stood back to observe the proceedings.

"What do you have to say for yourself Yurak?" King Zarkon's voice bellowed through the chamber. "You were defeated by a planet we already conquered!"

"Forgive me Sire. I was not expecting the Lion Ships. They dispatched most of my fighters and Haggar's robeast." Came the reply.

Murmurs moved through the crowd at the mention of Voltron. All had heard the tales, only a few remembered the robot. The revelation made the newcomer move closer with interest.

"One more chance I will give you. Go now and talk to Haggar. If you fail again your head is forfeit!"

With a nod and a whimper Yurak left the throne room defeat heavy on his shoulders. As the General left the newcomer walked confidently up to the bottom of the throne.

"Remove your helmet before I get the guards to remove your head!" Zarkon snapped at the man. After news of the defeat his patience was short and a stranger appearing in his throne room made him nervous.

The newcomer snorted back a laugh and slowly removed his helmet and cloak. Another round of murmurs moved through the crowd as an evil smile appeared on Zarkon's face. Beneath the helmet was a light skinned handsome Drule with long white hair and intelligent yellow cat like eyes.

"Miss me, Father?"


End file.
